Four videos to brighten your spirits

Sure, we’re sequestered in Portland, unable to spend Christmas with the family in Southern California, but that’s no reason to be gloomy! Here are four videos that will spread good cheer throughout the land.

Next, did you know that if you take a video of Jeff Goldblum and slow it down to half-speed, he sounds totally drunk? Here is the evidence. Imagine getting this phone call at 2 a.m. some Saturday night:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQmK1CnwOUI]

We’ve all seen the cute video of the hamster on the piano, eating a piece of popcorn. But have you heard the cute song that someone wrote to accompany it?

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRzTfgds0UI]

Finally, in 1969, President Nixon proposed slashing funding for the newly formed Corporation for Public Broadcasting from $20 million to $10 million. Mr. Rogers appeared before the senate subcommittee deciding the issue and basically saved the funding single-handedly.